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The LG Optimus F6 may not be a powerhouse of a device compared with some other top-tier handsets, but it's still a reliable phone that will satisfy users looking for a simple device on a budget.

Reasonably priced at $288 on T-Mobile, or $199 on MetroPCS, the F6 is equipped with a swift dual-core processor, a bright 4.5-inch screen, and a 5-megapixel camera that's sure to make casual shutterbugs happy. It also comes with a handful of software UI features from LG that are useful and easy to use.

If you're looking for a midrange Android handset and you're a prepaid customer on either of these two carriers, consider the F6. Just be aware, however, that it doesn't run the most recent Android version. Judging by our data tests, 4G LTE connectivity on T-Mobile can also be inconsistent.

Editors' note: This review was updated on December 10, 2013, to include analysis of the MetroPCS version of the LG Optimus F6.

Design
The Optimus F6 is compact, measuring 5.03 inches tall, 2.59 inches wide, and 0.40 inch thick. It's easily maneuverable with one hand and with its sloping edges and smooth plastic build, it's comfortable to hold. At 4.44 ounces, it's also fairly lightweight, and you can easily throw it in a small bag or your back jeans pocket.

On the left edge sits a volume rocker and a shortcut key to launch QuickMemo (more on that later). Up top is a 3.5mm headphone jack and on the right is a sleep/power button. Finally, the bottom edge houses a Micro-USB port for charging.

The F6 is a compact handset that's comfortable to hold.
Josh Miller/CNET

The battery door is adorned with a tile pattern that grows denser near the bottom of the device. The design is subtle, and you can only make it out clearly when the handset is somewhere well lit, like outside in the sun. I like this stylish pattern, and it's a unique accent that sets the phone apart from the other midrange slabs floating around in the market.

On the back you'll find a 5-megapixel camera and LED flash and two small slits for the speaker. When you remove the battery door, you can access the microSD card slot (it accepts cards of capacities of up to 32GB), and the 2,460mAh battery.

The 4.5-inch qHD IPS display has a 960x540-pixel resolution. Though it's important to keep in mind that the F6 is a midtier device, compared with a higher-end phone like the LG G2 (which has a 1080p screen), the F6's display isn't the sharpest. I can see some slight aliasing around icons and texts and color gradients do not transition as smoothly. However, the screen is bright, it displays colors accurately (especially when viewing a single white swatch), and it's responsive to the touch.

Above the display is a 1.3-megapixel camera and below is a physical home key that's flanked by two hot keys (for back and menu) that light up in white. If you long-press the home key, you can call up recent apps (and quit them as well), access Google Now, and open up the Task Manager in your phone.

Software features
The handset features Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, and while it'd be nice to see it running a more recent version of the OS, you'll still get your usual collection of Google apps: Chrome, Gmail, Search, Plus, Maps, access to the Play store's Books, Magazines, Movies & TV, and Music portals, Talk, and YouTube.

T-Mobile loaded a conservative number of its apps in as well. You'll get T-Mobile My Account, which gives you information about your phone and data plan; a trial subscription to the caller ID service Name ID; and apps that help set up your visual voice mail and mobile hot spot. Lastly, the media streaming service T-Mobile TV offers a 30-day trial to channels like Fox News and ESPN.

Meanwhile, the MetroPCS model included its 4G hot-spot app; an app store portal; a privacy app called Metro Block-it; and Metro411, which searches for and locates nearby businesses and restaurants. The carrier also preloaded its visual voice mail feature; the MetroMusic streaming music and ringtone service; a phone number look-up and screening service called MetroPCS Screen-it; and a news app called MetroZone. Finally, there's MyMetro, which lets you check your account balance and plan.

LG's Optimus 3.0 user interface comes with a few signature software features. These include the option to customize app icons (with two different themes), and QSlide, a multitasking function that enables you to view and resize apps (like the browser and calculator) while using other apps or viewing the home screen.

VuTalk lets you create annotations on documents and photos on your device while sharing it in real time with another VuTalk-enabled handset through either a network or Wi-Fi connection. There's also LG's signature note-taking app, QuickMemo, which lets you jot down quick notes or sketches directly over images onscreen. As mentioned before, you can quickly launch this app with the shortcut button on the smartphone's left edge.

Basic apps include native browser and e-mail clients, a calculator, a calendar, a clock with alarm functions, a memo pad, a weather app, a dictionary, a to-do list, a voice recorder, a voice dialer, and voice search.

Other goodies include two file-sharing apps (SmartShare and FileShare), the Polaris Viewer 4 mobile office suite, a language translation app, and Lookout Security, which backs up data and scans apps and files for malware.

Additional features include 4GB of internal storage, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0.

Camera and videoPhoto quality on the 5-megapixel camera was great. Especially in amply lit environments, images were sharp with well-defined edges and showed adequate color accuracy. Of course, with dimmer lighting comes more digital noise, but in general, pictures were in focus and clear. In addition, the camera operated fast, with the shutter refreshing for the next photo quickly and I didn't see any lag between my moving of the camera and the feedback I saw in the viewfinder.

Both the 5-megapixel camera and the front-facing camera offer five white balance options, a brightness meter (from -2 to +2), four color effects, a timer, geo-tagging, and a voice shutter function that lets you operate the shutter by saying certain words like "cheese" and "whiskey" (don't ask me why). The two cameras also have a "Portrait+" function (previously known as Beauty Shot) that lets you adjust the brightness and blurriness of an image.

However, only the 5-megapixel camera features digital zoom, three focuses that include face tracking, five shooting modes (which include panoramic and HDR), and seven scene modes. It also has five ISO options, the ability to save photos in three sizes (ranging from 1,280x960 to 2,560x1,920 pixels), and Time Catch, which lets you choose and save the best shot before the shutter was pressed. The front-facing camera, meanwhile, has only two image sizes (1,280x720 or 1,280x960), two scene modes (normal and night), and a mirror-image option that saves a vertically flipped version of your photo.

In this indoor photo, you can see a notable amount of digital noise.
Lynn La/CNET

In this outdoor shot, cars, buildings, and people all look sharp with well-defined edges.
Lynn La/CNET

In our standard studio setup, objects look a bit blurry and the flash casts a patch of blue against the white background.
Josh Miller/CNET

Lynn La is a CNET editor who reviews and reports on all things mobile. She also writes about visual arts/design and the ways it intersects with tech. Before CNET, Lynn has also written for The Global Post, The Sacramento Bee, and Macworld.
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